Reconciliation
by ryuufubuki
Summary: Because sometimes it was required when your adoptive father was deemed the worst villain of the century. In other words, Owlman is a villain among villains, and Talon just wants to do some good. But even doing good has some disadvantages.
1. Chapter 1: Redemption

Hello, I know it's been some time since I updated my other stories, but I've been playing with this idea for quite some time now. I do hope you'll enjoy Reconciliation and give me some feedback so I know if I should continue or not. I do not own Batman/Young Justice/the DC universe. But all the same enjoy the story and don't forget to follow, favorite and review.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **Redemption**

 **rəˈdem(p)SH(ə)n/**

 ** _noun_**

 **1.**

 **the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.**

* * *

It was just like every other night in Gotham, dark and dreary. Civilians burrowed into their homes, hoping their thin walls were enough to shield them from the surplus of criminals roaming the city streets. Fear ran rampant through the city like a flu epidemic. Said terror chilled even the bravest man to his very bones stemmed from the very man who made it so Gotham survived its every night to endure the torture tomorrow would bring.

Many knew the man only as Bruce Wayne, the White Knight of Gotham City. Or as Talon knew him, Owlman, the worst villain to tread across the Earth. Even the Justice League feared Talon's mentor. No meta human dared step foot in Gotham unless they swore allegiance to the widely feared Knight.

That wasn't to say Talon never associated himself with Bruce Wayne. No, Talon was Owlman's enforcer, making it clear to the villain populace that Bruce Wayne and his ward were off limits to the many villains.

As civilians, Richard Grayson and Bruce Wayne were the ideal father and son, donating millions to charities and paying a protection fee to Owlman as many notable families did.

If Bruce Wayne was the White Knight of Gotham, savior of the poor, the very epitome of all that was good in Gotham, then Richard Grayson was the heir to the legacy his adopted father inherited, expected to demonstrate the same kindness to the people in Gotham as the Waynes before him.

As criminals, Talon and Owlman were the ideal partners, complimenting each other's fighting style, ruling over every minor and major villain in Gotham and enforcing the rules they had created for the city.

If Owlman was the king of fear, ruler of Gotham, the very grim reaper himself. Then Talon was the heir to the mighty legacy his mentor had gruelingly built from bottom up, expected to carry on his mentor's legacy of instilling fear in the hearts of every man, woman and child across the world.

At least, that was all the Justice League saw them as. Talon knew the true intent of their crusade. It was not about revenge for his, or even Bruce's, parents. Their rule established itself among even the craziest of criminals. This way, by becoming villains, they made sure no other child lost their parents.

That was the problem with the Justice League, they could continue throwing their villains in jail, but they would always break out again. Owlman eliminated anyone who dare defy the rules he set in place. Drugs stopped being dealt to children. Rapes had all but become an extinct concept in Gotham. Citizens were no longer killed in territory disputes. Owlman and Talon had brought order to the previously chaotic world of Gotham.

Sure, the Joker still slaughtered, Catwoman still stole, and the Riddler still riddled, but Bruce Wayne did more for the city in five years as Owlman than he ever had in ten years as Batman.

Yes, Batman and Owlman were one in the same. Few knew of the connection, but Bruce had originally been the greatest detective, founder of the Justice League and Caped Crusader of Gotham. When Dick's parents had died, Bruce realized the terrible mistake he made.

As a hero, he couldn't control the villains, in fact, he only seemed to encourage a growth of the darkness in Gotham. Gotham did not need the fear Batman brought to the criminal class, but rather the wisdom of Owlman to unite the city. So, Bruce Wayne devised a plan as he took his ward under his wing. And Owlman's claim to fame came as Batman's killer and the world's greatest villain.

When Dick had discovered Bruce's identity as Owlman, he had been furious. No child wanted to live with the man who killed the beacon of hope for Gotham. But even when he was nine, Dick was no fool. He allowed Bruce to explain himself. And listened in amazement as Bruce told his story from the child who saw his parents murdered before his eyes, to Batman and finally, to Owlman. Instantly Dick took up the identity of Talon.

Which brings us to where we are today, as the younger of the caped villains stood atop Wayne Tower, watching over the city they had fostered from its ashes. Not the best place to live on Earth, but by far not the worst.

 _"Come in Richard,"_ the static filled voice interrupted Talon's moment of peace, almost causing him to jump at the sudden noise. Richard, meaning Bruce was still tied up at work, explaining the static since he was probably calling for him cell phone.

"I'm here, Owlman. What's up?"

 _"Luthor. He requested a meeting with me concerning Warehouse 13 Gotham Harbor district at 2300 hours about renting it for his own use. I was planning to go but I'm tied up with a board meeting. Do you think you could handle this?"_

Or in owl-speak, Luthor wanted to meet Owlman in Warehouse 13 in about, Talon checked the time on his holo-computer, a half an hour.

"Yes Owlman, ETA twenty-five minutes," Talon replied quickly. Luthor wasn't too keen on causing trouble with the major villains of Gotham. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long, Talon was supposed to meet up with Ivy and Harley for a game of cards tonight. And get the scoop on Joker's latest plans.

 _"Thank you, be safe it's dangerous to walk the streets at night, have Alfred take you,"_ Bruce warned, the com link clicking off a moment later.

So, Bruce thought Luthor had a secret agenda. Well maybe this was worth delaying his meet up with Harley and Ivy. His mentor wanted him to contact Alfred if he needed backup, good thing they recently installed the remote-control module for the Batmobile.

With a loud snicker, Talon stepped off the side of the large sky scraper, letting himself free fall before using his grappling hook to swing from building to building. The few people who rushed about despite the late hour, shivered, grinned or groaned at the thought of the young villain flying through the streets above them. Because no matter what the Justice League claimed, they knew life had improved under Owlman.

* * *

Wally would like to say it wasn't his fault they wound up in this mess. But that statement would be so obviously wrong. And Artemis would probably kill him the moment they escaped—as if she wasn't already planning to.

The team had been sent on a simple covert op by the big man in blue himself. Observe and report, do not engage. Blah blah blah. All the normal orders for the teenaged team who hadn't been able to pull off one clean covert mission yet. It always ended up in a fight, of which they'd win… Eventually.

The teenaged team was tasked with watching over Lex Luthor, and keep track of any plans he made while the Man of Steel was off world on League business. And the team did watch him. They made it two hours before Luthor had walked in on Kid Flash raiding the breakroom fridge. A new record on how long it took them to be discovered.

That was three hours ago, now the team sat in the corner of a warehouse in Gotham City with inhibitor collars and guarded by four burly men in bullet proof vests with semi-automatics. Luthor lounged on a rather plush looking couch in the center of the warehouse, checking his watch periodically as if he was waiting for someone.

With bated breath, the team watched Luthor, knowing full well the only person in Gotham City Lex Luthor would wait for: Owlman. The fearsome villain who had killed Batman and ruled over Gotham with a whole army of dangerous criminals from the Joker to the Court of Owls behind him. The very nemesis of Justice. And the reason the team had been forbidden to ever step foot in Gotham.

If their expectation became a reality, Wally doubted the team would be alive long after encountering the dreaded villain.

Wally's stomach vocalized its agreement.

"Shut up," Artemis hissed, ramming her elbow into Wally's side.

"I can't help it," the fastest boy alive grumbled bitterly. He hadn't exactly asked for an accelerated metabolism, he would be fine to just have his uncle's powers without the side effects.

"Now is not the time to fight," Aqualad hushed, sensing the rising hostility between his teammates.

"What do you expect us to do? Not even Superman can beat Owlman. He's tried to avenge Batman many times," Superboy growled. But that statement hushed the young heroes. Even though they had never met the caped crusader, they all knew the stories about his greatness, and knew very well that if Superman could, he would kill Owlman to avenge the co-founder of the Justice League.

An ominous cackle shattered the silence of the warehouse and the team watched in awe as Luthor stood up, impeccably straight as a young boy dropped a few feet in front of Luthor from the rafters.

Luthor scowled, but the displeased expression only wavered over his features for a moment, replaced by a respectful smile. "Good evening, I wasn't expecting you, but it is a pleasure as always," Luthor proclaimed.

The boy nodded, "Sorry to make you wait, Lex. Sit down and let's discuss your business." The kid, for that's he was, Wally couldn't imagine him being any older than himself, plopped down in the armchair across from Luthor, looking completely at ease with the super villain.

This kid was defiantly not Owlman, not only based on his age, but his cheerful disposition and light tone when addressing Luthor were proof to justify the claim. So, who was he?

"So, tell me, Lex. Why'd you bring the baby Justice League brats here? I thought I'd made it quite clear the last time that Owlman doesn't want a meta smuggling system in Gotham," the kid questioned nonchalantly. But Luthor shivered at whatever the words had brought up for him, and the team of partners watched as he struggled to push down his fear before speaking.

"I brought them as gifts to Owlman, in hopes that he may reconsider the Light's offer. An offer which of course extends to you as well, Talon," Luthor replied evenly.

This was Talon? The Talon? The very partner to the feared Owlman. "But you're just a kid," Wally stated.

Everyone's attention whizzed to Wally at his words. The teenager shrunk inside himself in dismay. He had just called the second greatest villain in the wor- no universe a kid! This was the end, he was never going to taste Aunt Iris' homemade pie again, he would never have game night with the rouges again, he would never be able to race his uncle across Central. This was the end of Kid Flash.

"How dare-!"

Luthor stopped abruptly as the young villain burst out laughing. Not the creepy cackle from before but an actual, genuine laugh. "Chill out, Lex. He didn't mean anything by it. And you, Flash Boy, what did you expect, an old butler?" Talon joked, laughing again at what had to be an inside joke.

"It's Kid Flash," Wally corrected bluntly.

"I know." Talon shot Wally a cheeky smile before his expression hardened again, returning his attention to Lex.

"Owlman has already made it clear that he will never join the Light. We're concerned only with Gotham, not ruling the world, as we've already informed your colleagues. Despite what you'd like to think, Owlman does not endorse your actions, Lex. You've disrespected Owlman quite enough, heavy on the dis. Nor we will be accepting your ah, gifts, Owlman's grown quite bored of playing with the Justice League."

"You little brat," Lex Luthor growled, "I've done nothing but help you and Owlman. The least you could do is repay your debt and accept Vandal's offer. I should have crushed you and your mentor earlier."

Lex pulled a small hand gun out of his jacket pocket, pointing it at Talon who sat still, unworried on the chair before the billionaire. "I'll kill you now, and take care of Owlman later."

"Even if you're able to kill me, Owlman will make sure you pay thousands fold. Are you sure you want that, Lex?" Talon asked calmly.

The two stared off for a long time, two titans of villainhood. Tension strung thinly through the air before Lex pocketed the gun again. "Fine. We're done here. Kill the sidekicks they don't have a purpose anymore."

Luthor's henchmen turned their guns to the group of young heroes obediently. Talon had let them live only to get shot by Luthor's insignificant henchmen. A true pity. Wally squeezed his eyes tightly shut. There was no Justice League to save them this time.

"Stop!"

Wally eased his eyes open slowly. Talon's shout had come as a surprise, surely the villain wouldn't be opposed to the death of a few young heroes.

"Stop?" Luthor echoed mystified.

"Yeah, you don't need to kill them."

"And you're suggesting I do what with them?"

The color drained from Talon's face as he muttered something. Superboy shot up in surprise, obviously the only one who heard what the boy had said.

"Speak louder," Luthor commanded.

"Let them go."

* * *

The moment Dick saw the members of the younger justice league he knew this was going to turn out bad. Upon sight he pulled their files from his memory, Bruce having insisted he read them until he could recite them by heart just like the Justice League. For if either team turned to the dark side, Batman had promised to don his cape again.

A team which maybe Dick would have been a part of if he was Batman's partner, not Owlman's. And maybe he was in a different universe. He couldn't let them be killed like this.

"Let them go," he repeated louder, strength, fear and determination bringing an edge to his voice.

Luthor looked at him like he was insane. Which he probably was. This was a disaster, heavy on the dis. But the moment of shock gave him time to act. He flung a handful of batarangs at the guards standing over the heroes—Bruce may have not been Batman anymore but owlarang just didn't sound as cool. Talon used his grappling hook to pull himself into the ceiling rafters, throwing a smoke bomb down at Luthor's feet and watching as the warehouse filled with smoke.

Talon took out the first guard before the poor man even knew what was happening. Luthor must be making his grand escape, which explained Mercy's absence since the Cyborg would probably be able to detect him through the smoke.

The second guard fell to the ground after a round house kick, and a quick shove towards a stack of crates just waiting to be destabilized. The noise must have given his location away to guard three and four because a moment later Talon heard a gunshot and felt a stinging pain in his arm. The smoke was beginning to dissipate already.

Once more Talon used his grappling gun to swing across the warehouse, planting his foot firmly into guard three's face. Using the rest of his momentum he performed a clear aerial summersault and landed face to face with the fourth and final guard, a batarang to the man's throat.

"Get your companions out of here, now."

The man hurriedly nodded, throwing aside his gun and running to his closest friend.

Talon smirked, observing his work and turned to the young justice team who had watched his display in awe. Using the lock pick in his gloves, he began to unlock the inhibitor collars one by one.

"Dude that was awesome!" Kid Flash proclaimed as Talon pulled his collar off. The speedster grabbed the small lockpick Talon held out to him, zipping towards the Atlantean and beginning the process of unlocking his inhibitor collar.

"Thank you for helping us," Kauldar added, still on guard in the face of his enemy.

Talon smirked at the elder's clear respect for the villain, and distrust for his enemy. Much more practical than the speedster but acting on practicality instead of being led by emotion, unlike the certain boy in blue who led the Justice League. The sidekicks had made a good choice for their leader.

"No problem," Talon shrugged. And it really wasn't, it felt good to do some good instead of playing the villain. "Owlman is already tired of carrying around Kryptonite, and if Superman found some dead sidekicks in our territory I doubt he'd wouldn't try to get some revenge."

Artemis looked less than pleased, but that was fine, when she had been working under Sportsmaster, they'd met several times, she wasn't as willing to backstab him as Jade was which resulted in a short, uneasy friendship. "Thanks," she responded dryly as he removed the collar.

"Aren't you supposed to be a villain?" Superboy inquired, his tone echoing the confusion and disbelief in his eyes. Talon knew Superman and his clone weren't close, but he also knew of the clone's habits to try and be like the original, which meant he harbored the same resentment for Owlman.

"He can't be all bad, Superboy. He did save us after all," Miss Martian exclaimed, she stuck out her hand to Talon, oblivious to the villain's surprise, "I'm Miss Martian. It's nice to meet you Talon!"

"Likewise, Miss M," Talon smirked, shaking her hand, "Now you guys should get out of here. If Owlman finds you here, it won't be a whelming experience for you."

"Whelming?" Kid Flash questioned.

"Well if you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, why can't you just be whelmed? Seriously, get out of Gotham, if I find you guys here again, I won't have any choice but to kill you."

The team shivered, but Aqualad nodded, "Again, thank you, Talon. Miss Martian, call the bioship. We will await it on the docks."

Talon watched the team leave before surveying the empty warehouse. He brought his hand up to the communicator in his ear, wincing at the burst of static he was rewarded with. Strange, with Luthor gone, there shouldn't be anything jamming the signal. Or so he thought until something hit him hard in the back.

Talon tumbled a few feet, groaning as he skidded to a stop on the cold concrete floor of the warehouse. The villain struggled to pull himself upright, wishing he had an accelerated healing factor. Before the Boy Wonder could sit up, a foot planted itself firmly onto his back digging into the burned flesh from the energy blast that'd hit him.

"It seems Owlman has little regard for what happens to his prodigy if he is so willing to leave you unsupervised."

"Savage," Talon growled, trying to push himself up as the immortal cave man pressed his full weight onto the boy.

"My dear boy, Luthor did warn you there would be repercussions for not accepting my generous offer. Since your mentor is absent, it seems you will be the one to suffer the consequences this time. Despite what Ra's al Ghul thinks, you and Owlman are a threat to the Light."

Before Talon could direct a witty retort back at Savage, the man clubbed him over the head. As Dick's world went dark he was vaguely aware of a loud ticking sound emanating from the small box Savage set by his head.

* * *

"Oh!" M'gann cried out suddenly as the bioship landed in front of the group.

The team's attention turned to their Martian member with varying looks of confusion, waiting for an explanation. Superboy glanced towards the warehouse, cocking his head as he heard a faint ticking noise.

"I can't sense Talon!" M'gann clarified to the team, worry reflecting in her eyes.

Superboy's eyes darkened, there was only one thing that he could relate to the ticking sound. He could still hear Talon's heartbeat inside, surely the teenaged villain didn't plan to blow himself up. But was it really his responsibility to save the villain? His mentor was Superman's arch nemesis after all. Despite that Talon had saved them, the least Superboy could do was return the favor. "Get in the bioship," Superboy ordered his teammates.

"Superboy, no!" Aqualad ordered.

But it came too late, Superboy already leapt away from his team, dropping through the roof of the warehouse. Talon's small form was curled up—in pain, Superboy silently commented—near a black box with numbers counting down.

10, 9, 8...

Superboy scooped up the small boy—had the villain really been this small? And jumped back through his previously made hole in the warehouse roof.

7, 6, 5...

"What happened?" Artemis questioned, her eyes lighting up in surprise as she saw Superboy's charge.

4

"Bomb," Superboy replied, hustling his teammates into the bioship.

3

As they were all seated, Superboy still holding onto his charge, Kaulder nodded to M'gann and the bioship took to the skies.

2

1

0

A loud explosion rocked the Bioship. And Superboy caught a glimpse of the fiery destruction that lay in their wake. He doubted the league would be pleased with the result of their mission.

"What should we do about him?" Wally asked, gesturing to Superboy's charge. The team's attention turned to Kauldar, who's eyebrows furrowed with stress.

"We will take him back to the mountain, in the case he is injured. Although I do not know what the League will do with him."


	2. Chapter 2: Revenge

Hello, and I'm sorry for the long wait, I didn't think this story was going to get such a reception so I posted the first chapter before I went on a retreat I knew I wouldn't have internet during. However, I'm back now, and hopefully a better writer by now. I don't own any fraction of the DC universe. I hope you'll follow, favorite, review and enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **Revenge**

 **rəˈvenj/**

 ** _noun_**

 **1.**

 **the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands**

* * *

When Dick awoke, he was groggy—a similar experience to when the Joker gave him a dose of pain meds for meta humans. The surface supporting him was hard, and forced him to sit upright, eliminating the possibility of a Gotham villain having rescued him from Savage. Yet, he knew neither Bruce nor Alfred would make such a mistake if they had been the ones to find him. A minuscule shift of his arms abolished the idea of him being in the care of an ally at the feeling of the cold metal pressing against his wrists.

With a small groan, Talon forced his eyes open and instantly frowned. The Man of Steel was seated across the table from him, accompanied by Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter. Talon's hands were pinned behind the back of the chair and he could feel the presence of the inhibitor collar they'd placed around his neck. Well, at least the League had a no kill policy unlike the Light. All Talon had to do was distract them until he could orchestrate his escape, or Owlman found him.

"Oh wow, Wonder Woman, Superman _and_ Martian Manhunter. I never expected three heavy hitters of the League to show up for me," Dick announced, sarcasm dousing his every word, "Last I'd heard you were off world, Supes. Didn't think you'd travel back to Earth for me."

Throughout his short speech, Clark's face slowly adopted a fierce shade of crimson with his growing rage. Through his study of the Justice League, Bruce had insisted Dick knew every weakness of the League, and while he was fresh out of Kryptonite, Dick knew he'd be able to control the hero through manipulation of his emotions. Clark always got reckless when his emotions were involved. He'd have to take advantage of that as much as he could if he wanted to be able to escape their holding.

"Talon," Clark grumbled, squinting at Dick. Dick rolled his eyes beneath his mask, wondering how many times Superman had tried to use X-ray vision on Owlman's mask. Surely, he wasn't incompetent enough to believe Owlman wouldn't have coated his partner's mask in lead as well. _No,_ Dick mentally chided himself, he shouldn't be thinking so lowly of the Justice League, he couldn't afford to underestimate them.

Diana gently set a calming hand on Clark's shoulder, and they shared a moment of eye contact. It seemed the princess of Themyscira was weary of Dick, shifting in and out of a fighting stance. Soon after Bruce had 'killed' Batman and beat Superman, the Amazon challenged Owlman, seeking revenge. Even during their recent fights, Talon could clearly see Bruce had a soft spot for Diana, and Diana resented Owlman for killing her crush. However, the affection which shown in her eyes was the only indicator Talon needed to understand her bond with Superman. Despite Bruce's remaining feelings for Diana, he'd begrudgingly told Dick two weakness. For one, she was weak to poison, and fear gas. The latter of which Dick had in his belt.

But Dick didn't want to hurt Diana. Not with how much she still seemed to care about his guardian despite his death. For now, he'd focus on Clark.

"I'm impressed, I thought Batman was the only one who could calm you down, Clark."

The mention of Batman was enough to set Superman off. In the blink of an eye the boy scout had yanked Talon—chair and all—off the ground, merely holding the boy up by his collar.

"Clark!" Diana chided, leaping up from her chair, followed shortly by Martian Manhunter.

"You cannot let him control you, Superman," J'honn added calmly.

Which brought Dick to Martian Manhunter. His weakness was easy, exposure to fire could cause him to lose his ability to maintain physical form, psychic abilities. He'd been one of Bruce's main challenges when he'd become Owlman as he couldn't allow the Martian to look into his mind and discover the truth least his cover be blown. In the months before the transition between Batman and Owlman, Bruce had spent most of his time building up a mental block. He hadn't known it worked until he'd met J'honn in battle. And Dick hoped his own mental block could withstand the Martian now.

Superman looked at his comrades shortly, letting out a deep breath as if emptying his anger and gently set Talon back down. "Don't mention his name again," Clark warned, returning to his chair. He looked exhausted, no doubt from whatever universal duties he'd been attending to before coming back.

Talon huffed, it was apparent how vulnerable Superman was through his emotions. For him to not take time to strength himself so he didn't fall for the enemy's taunt was unimaginable. Bruce would surely have a heart attack if he knew his old friend hadn't done anything about his apparent weakness. Yet, it would be easy to escape if the other Leaguers were this susceptible to their weaknesses. As the three adults took a moment to converse, Talon began to test the cuffs. They weren't as complex as he'd originally thought, but rather generic, easier to pick than Owlman's, that was for sure.

The only issues with proceeding in picking the handcuffs was Superman's hearing. It was easy to block a mind reader, but super hearing was an unavoidable issue. Without kryptonite he couldn't exactly get rid of Superman's super hearing. With luck, Talon would keep pushing Superman's buttons and distract him from his real motive.

"I was there, you know, when Owlman killed him. That's when Owlman decided to train me as his apprentice." Tension thickened the very air around Talon, radiating from Superman as his rage swelled again. "Unlike you, Owlman is actually doing something to help this planet. Both Owlman and Batman have the same mission, Owlman's just able to use any means to reach his goal."

Astonishment rang clearly through the room, leaving the heroes dumbstruck. But silence filled in the empty space, and so Talon continued, sliding the lock pick in his glove to hang out of it's little opening as he set to work.

"All you knew of Batman was the single side he showed you. There was no man behind the mask to you, rather you only used him. Bats knew that, but he continued to help you. He was seeking justice for what happened to him. And you all just used him to further your own goals."

"And what do you call what you and Owlman are doing?" Superman challenged, "If what you are doing is justice, they'll be no one left to live in what you've created by the time you've finished!"

"Is that so? Owlman's more just than all of you combined. Bats knew none of you had what it takes to actually be a hero, why else wouldn't he share his identity with you?"

Hopefully Owlman would get him out soon.

* * *

"Ra's," Bruce greeted. He had long since grown tired of entering the Mansion to see the leader of the Demon Head lounging in his living room with a hot cup of tea, chatting with Alfred. The butler had grown fond of the Light member's company as they discussed everything from Macbeth to Hamlet over games of chess.

"Detective," Ra's responded, moving one of his pawns to take Alfred's knight, "I see Luthor and Savage's attempt to convince you to join the Light failed once more. Tell me, what did you do with the children?"

"What?" Bruce replied, the assassin's words shocking him. Sure, he'd been able to deduce Luthor would attempt to convince to join the Light again, but Savage's presence and that of the junior Justice League were unexpected. If he had known, he wouldn't have sent Dick, speaking of which, his ward should be with Harley and Ivy. Right?

Ra's looked away from the game to Bruce with a frown. His mouth opened to form a 'o' with his realization. "You sent the boy."

Bruce paled, he'd sent Dick right into the middle of a warzone. Bruce knew of the Light's impatience with him, despite Ra's advocacy. Dick would be able to handle Luthor, he knew it, but Savage was a different story. The man was skilled, having almost uncovered his identity as Batman several times in his years as the caped crusader. While Luthor would be hesitant to lay a finger on Dick, Savage would have no mercy. The presence of the junior Justice League would only further complicate Dick's interaction.

"Master Bruce, should I contact Miss Quinn?" Alfred asked, standing up, looking ready to dart to the Batcave—Dick insisted Owlcave didn't flow off the tongue like Batcave.

"I will contact the members of the Light," Ra's announced, shooting up from his seat, "And Talia, should we need to rescue the boy."

Bruce nodded to the two before activating his communicator. "Talon come in."

* * *

 _"Talon come in."_

Wally zeroed in on the communicator the League had found on Talon when they'd arrested him. Superman, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter had been in the interrogation room for almost an hour now, and asked the team to watch the young villain's possessions while they spoke to him.

"Who do you think it is?" Wally whispered to the rest of the team as they stared at the communicator with varying degrees of apprehension.

Artemis elbowed him in the side, "Who do you think? It's gotta be Owlman."

M'gann's eyes widened at the mention of the villain's name. "What should we do?" she squeaked.

"We will not answer it. Once Superman returns we will inform him," Kaldur determined.

 _"Savage, I know you're there. Answer now and we'll negotiate. If you don't answer, I will destroy the Light."_

"Did Owlman just say what I thought he said?" Wally questioned, "Isn't Savage Owlman's ally? Maybe we should tell him that we have Talon." Now that he thought about it, Talon hadn't exactly accepted Luthor's offer to join the Light. But didn't villains have like an agreement to all get along or something like that. Wally knew that the Rouges did at least.

"Wouldn't he attack?" Superboy asked. He doubted they had a chance of taking down the villain even with the whole team and three League members present. The man's fighting skills were legend and the League still knew nothing about his meta abilities.

Silence fell over the group as they pondered the idea. They didn't know how much longer the League would be with Talon, having been instructed not to disrupt. But, Owlman probably didn't know where the team was stationed and therefore where Talon was.

 _"If you give him back to me I will join the Light."_

Wally's eyes widened at the newest transmission. The villain—the man—on the other side of the communicator sounded just like his uncle when Wally had been held hostage by Count Vertigo last week. Desperate. And instantaneously, Wally recognized the man behind the nightmare the league made him out to be.  
Snatching up the communicator before his teammates could stop him, Wally pressed the button to open the line on his side.

"Kid Flash, no!" Aqualad shouted.

"Owlman, Talon is with us, he's safe."

The cave was quiet, the team waiting his bated breath for the villain to respond.

 _"Is Talon hurt?"_

"Talon appeared to have been hit with an energy blast to his lower back. He was seen by one of our doctors and treated for minor burns and given medication for his pain. The League will contact you in the future regarding his condition," Kaldur responded evenly.

"Thank you-"

Owlman was cut off by a loud bang originating from the interrogation room Talon was being held in. The door was slammed against the metal wall as Superman emerged, crudely dragging the tiny villain behind him by his cape as Diana and J'honn followed behind him. When he saw the Atlantean holding the communicator, his eyes burned bright with rage.

"Superman let him go. You're choking him," Diana pleaded with the leader of the Justice League, attempting to pry his hand off the cape. True to her words, the team saw the villain's face turning red as he clawed at the clasp on his cape. They had never seen the Man of Steel in such a state, and unconsciously they shrunk back, terrified by the display of rage. Superman snatched the communicator from Kaldur, looking as if he was contemplating crushing their line of communication with Owlman.

"Owlman," Superman hissed into the small speaker.

"Superman," the villain stated, the desperation in his tone from earlier completely disappearing, "If you hurt him, I swear our next fight will be our last one."

"You expect me to believe that you care for him, Owlman? You don't care for anyone but yourself!" Superman snapped, shaking Talon by his cape until the teen let out a strained whimper.

" _What-"_

"You killed Batman, yet you still have the nerve to speak of justice? Is this boy only a means to reach your end as well? Should he be killed, I wonder how long your plans would be delayed," Superman's eyes were tinted with a red film as he spoke, a precursor to his laser vision as he glanced down at the boy.

"Clark!" Diana shouted, having given up trying to loosen Superman's grasp and trying to locate the clasp for the cape instead. Talon's choking filled the silence left in the cave between Superman's words and it was apparent the teenager was struggling to hold onto his last thread of consciousness. The team were mortified by this display, the Justice League didn't kill, yet Superman's threat was plain as day.

"But I won't. He'll become the one to defeat you Owlman. I'll make sure his is the last face you'll ever see."

With that, the Man of Steel threw the communicator to the ground, watching it shatter. Only a few moments later, his eyes rolled back in his head as he dropped to the ground, unconscious. Diana helped Talon sit up as he coughed, Superman's grip on his cape lessened now that he was out.

"Diana, please take Superman to the Watch Tower, I will take care of Talon," J'honn told the princess. She nodded, picking up her peer in one swoop before making her way to the Zeta tubes.

"Dude, you alright?" Kid Flash asked, zooming over to the villain's side, helping stabilize him in Diana's absence. The boy's breathing was still raspy, his chest heaving as he struggled to refill his lungs with oxygen. Wally was taken aback by the boy's state, never before had he seen a member of the Justice League in the midst of such rage, ready to kill. Honestly, it frightened him, more than Owlman and more than the boy sitting before him, struggling to breathe.

"I'm fine," the boy rasped finally between his fits of coughing, "Didn't expect Supes to do that." Wally watched in shock as the boy offered a wryly grin. He'd nearly been killed and yet he was acting as if it was a common occurrence. Was this what the teen lived through during his time with Owlman?

While Wally was sure he didn't want the small villain to have another encounter with Superman, he didn't know if he could stand the thought of Talon returning to Owlman either.

* * *

Klarion snickered, unlike many other members of the Light, he enjoyed the company of Talon since Ra's introduced them. The boy was mischievous much like himself but applied his interests into order rather than chaos. Yet, the boy was talented in everything from hacking to controlling the numerous fiends of Gotham—Talon insisted he was only 'friends' with them, but Klarion had met the Joker and the man was uncontrollable by all standards, there was no way Talon could have befriended him. Even Owlman seemed to have difficultly talking to the crazed man.

He'd been furious when Talon refused his offer to join the Light. After all, the Lord of Chaos had only joined on Savage's offer to interact with people at his own level of intelligence, skill and mischievousness. But Luthor was only concerned with money, Ra's his own definition of Justice and the rest with their own personal motives. Talon and Owlman were the first villains Klarion met who recognized the greater scheme of things, but whereas the elder was emotionless, Talon completed Klarion. They were the two sides of the same coin. As far as Klarion was concerned, Talon was his only equal.

But now, oh this was too perfect, Savage's attempt to kill Talon had failed. And now the villain was in the hands of the Junior Justice League. If Klarion played his cards right—that is the remaining nanotech of the prototype implanted in Superman—he'd be the one to save Talon and not Owlman. Then the teenager would surely leave Owlman for the Light. For Klarion.

The opportunity was prime to finally bring Talon to his side.

* * *

M'gann stared at the small boy with pity. Even if he was a villain, Talon was the one who'd saved the team from being killed, and at the cost of what have may been his life. She'd been thankful, but still scared afterwards, until she'd seen Superman dragging the boy—who couldn't have been older than Wally—across the cave.

"Uncle, what's going to happen to Talon?"

The elder Martian sighed as the young team looked towards him for his answer. It seemed M'gann wasn't the only one with a soft spot for the villain. Although they did owe him for saving them, she supposed.

"We were planning to hold him in the Watchtower for now, but with Superman's recent behavior it would be too risky. For now, we will keep him here. I trust you will be able to create a schedule to keep Talon under supervision, Aqualad, until the League decides what our next step will be," Uncle J'honn replied.

Kaldur nodded, "Of course, we will make sure Talon is always under supervision. And we will contact the League if he attempts anything."

M'gann mentally cheered, perhaps she'd be able to make friends with Talon and convince him away from his life of villainy while he was in their care. And should the team gain a new member in the meantime, it wasn't like the League could disprove them rehabilitating the teenager.

"I'll go bake some cookies!"


	3. Chapter 3: Revise

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 3 of Reconciliation. I can't thank all of you enough for all the feedback I'm getting on this work so far. It's really been motivating me to push through and complete more chapters. This chapter is just setting up all the chaos that's about to happen in the next handful of chapters, so bear with me through it. Sadly, I still don't own any fraction of the DC universe. I hope you'll favorite, follow, review and enjoy as always.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Revise**

 **rəˈvīz/**

 ** _verb_**

 **1.**

 **reconsider and alter (something) in the light of further evidence.**

* * *

It was Talon's third day with the Junior Justice League. Needless to say, it was boring. Half the time he was groggy from the doses of pain medication, and the other half he could do nothing but sit around as the team watched him. M'gann and Superboy watched him once he woke up, then Kauldar helping Superboy once M'gann left for school, Wally afterwards, Artemis and then Superboy and M'gann once more. Everyday was the same, he wasn't even allowed to train, much less do his school work.

Hopefully, Bruce had been able to come up with a good excuse for him to be away from school for so long.

Hanging out with the team was nothing compared to hanging around the Gotham villains. Whereas they were fairly unpredictable, the team followed a strict schedule. And should he be in a better condition, it would have been easy to slip away. But he didn't want them to come to Gotham to go after him, nor did he want to have another encounter with the Man of Steel. It'd become apparent after their last encounter that he'd overstepped his bounds and it frightened him to think of what would happen next time they met.

During his first day, Black Canary had given him some civilian clothes, and while he'd gladly changed, he hadn't taken the mask off yet. Wally'd been great, constantly including him as if they'd been friends forever. Superboy was warming up to him but remained wary. Artemis would occasionally realize how familiar she was acting with Talon before cutting herself off again. M'gann treated him like a child, constantly over enthusiastic but he didn't particularly mind the treatment.

"Whatca thinking about?" Wally questioned from where he was doing his homework. He wore his uniform, just as the others had been ordered to do at all times in the cave when Talon was there.

"When I can talk to my lawyer about being held against my will," Dick replied, nonchalantly as always, flipping through a magazine about Gotham's favorite playboy. It was an old joke by now, but judging by Wally's laugh, he still appreciated the humor.

"Can't help it, the League is still debating on what to do with you," Wally shrugged. His hand darted towards the bowl of chips Dick had been snacking from, only to be slapped away. The villain had long since grown use to his super speed.

"The least they could do was let me train a bit. I'm getting stiff," Dick replied, scanning over the page some journalist had written about Richard Grayson and stifling a laugh. They either viewed him as a pitiful orphan or someone after the Wayne fortune. If only they knew the truth about Owlman and Talon.

The duo were silent for a moment as they both returned to their individual reading, Wally occasionally trying to steal a handful of chips. Silently, Talon wondered what the Gotham villains were up to. He'd only recently convinced Harley to move out of Joker's place and in with Ivy, hoping to quell her abuse. Mr. Freeze had recently talked about a new possible cure to his wife's illness he'd wanted Dick to look at. And he'd recently gotten the Mad Hatter to start seeing a psychiatrist. Even Scarecrow had started looking into starting his own practice in Gotham. The last thing Dick wanted was to have all his hard work undone by his absence.

Or perhaps the villains would be fine on their own. Unlikely.

Maybe Bruce would go and check up on all of them. Equally unlikely.

Despite Owlman's constant communication with the Gotham villains, Bruce was still bad when it came to interacting with them on personal terms—well with all the villains but Catwoman. It made most the villains reluctant to go to him for advice or to report of new criminals. The stony facade wasn't all bad. It was Owlman's likeness to Batman that kept the Joker from resenting his fellow villain for killing Batman.

While they still followed all of Owlman's rules, they still enjoyed playing the occasional prank on the villain, usually with Dick's help. After all, everyone enjoyed seeing Owlman in a pink version of his suit every once in a while. If Bruce was still Batman, Dick doubted he'd have such a fighting chance when it came to helping the villians of Gotham.

"Hey, dude, can I ask you a question?" Wally abputly questioned, openly staring at Dick.

Dick closed the magazine, turning his attention to Wally with a sly grin. "Haven't you already?"

Wally rolled his eyes, "Seriously. Are you, are you like really a villain?"

Dick blinked, that hadn't exactly been a question he'd expected. But it was something he'd asked himself quite a bit. After all, what truely made someone a villain?

Was it their end goal? Well, Dick's goal was to make Gotham safe so no one would ever go through the same pain he had, and that seemed to be a similar goal to the Justice League who were heroes in any context.

Perhaps the way one achieved their goals? The worst crime Dick had ever committed was probably black mail. Even Bruce had never killed, unless you counted indirectly. But all he did was scare those who opposed Owlman. Rather, according to the Justice League he was Batman's killer, so in that respect, Owlman was a villain.

But Talon? Dick wasn't really sure what qualified him as a villain. Working with Owlman? Hanging out with the Gotham rouges? Gallivanting at night with a mask and a cape?

"Talon?" Wally asked, looking at Dick.

Right, he needed to give Wally an answer. "I don't know," Dick admitted with a shrug.

And to be honest, he really didn't.

But maybe he didn't need to know.

* * *

Superman, ever since he had woken up, was angry. To be fair, he had been acting rather recklessly, but Talon worked with the villain who was responsible for Batman's death. It wasn't like Clark could just let that go. The whole world had mourned over the loss of Batman. And yet, Clark hadn't known anything about the Caped Crusader besides what he chose to show.

Talon was right, Batman hadn't trusted the Justice League. Perhaps, if he had trusted the rest of the League they would have been able to help him before Owlman killed him. They could have saved Gotham.

But now it was too late.

So while Clark was angry, it wasn't as if Talon was to be the victim of his rage. Clark was mad at himself for not trying harder to get Batman to open up. He was mad at Batman for not asking for the League's help. He was mad that without Batman there to guide him, Clark would be completly lost to the rage which boiled inside him.

Even if he was a hero in name, Clark doubted he did anyone any good. For what truely made someone a hero? Their goals? Their motivation? Or how others thought of them? Clark didn't know what made him a hero anymore.

While he was the beacon of hope to many, Clark needed a beacon to find his way out of the dark.

 _"Uh, Superman, there's someone at the Hall of Justice who wants to meet with you,"_ Barry's voice crinkled through the comm link.

Clark sighed tiredly, pressing his fingers to the comm to open up the line. "Who is it, Flash?"

 _"It's Bruce Wayne. He says Owlman kidnapped his son."_

* * *

It took half an hour for the heavy hitters of the Justice League to gather in the cramped conference room. Bruce sat at the end of the table, playing the worried parent. It wasn't like he had to worry about the League finding out he was acting, no one suspected such a thing out of a billionaire playboy anyway. But being surrounded by his colleagues was beginning to ware on his psyche.

At last Superman arrived, banging the doors to the room open and startling Flash. The Man of Steel looked just as high strung as when he fought Owlman. Although perhaps to Clark, this was another battle itself. Bruce couldn't imagine what he would do if he knew how close he was to his adversary.

"Superman, thank god you're here," Bruce breathed out. He reached into his suit pocket, pulling out the letter he had formulated with Ra's help some hours ago. His hands quivering, he handed it over to Clark. "I don't know why Owlman's doing this, I payed the protection fee, he's never done this before. Please, he wanted me to give that to you. I can't loose Richard. Please help me."

Clark examined the letter, breaking the seal as he read it out loud for the rest of the League to hear.

 _"Superman,_

 _If you're reading this, it seems Mr. Wayne did his job. So for now his son his safe."_

Bruce let out a choked sob. taking his handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his eyes.

 _"But he will only remain so as long as you meet my demands. Should you fail to respond appropriately, I'm afraid young Richard's life will be cut short. As you know, Mr. Wayne funds your little play dates so I'm sure it'd be a shame if you lost your major investor with his son's blood on your hands._

 _As for my demands, you must release Talon at the Warehouse district of Gotham Harbor three days from now. If you put a tracker on him, Richard will die. If you attempt to follow him, Richard will die. And if you notify the police? He'll die. After Talon returns to my side, I will release Richard in front of Wayne Manor._

 _If you fail to comply with any of my demands and Richard faces an untimely death, then one of your sidekicks will be next. I hope you'll make the right decision._

 _Owlman."_

"What should we do, Superman?" Aquaman questioned.

Bruce bristled, standing up and sending his chair tumbling backwards. "What do you mean? You should save my son! It's your fault Owlman took him in the first place. You aren't just going to let him get killed, are you?" Bruce shouted.

Diana took a step forward, putting her hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Mr. Wayne it's not that easy. Talon is a dangerous villian, we can't just release him. Surely we'll be able to rescue your son without meeting Owlman's demands."

"You heard him! If you try and look for him Owlman will kill him," Bruce snapped, pushing Diana's hand away from him. He turned to look at Superman who had been silent so far as he scanned the letter. "Please Superman, I can't lose Dick he's all that I have left. Don't have any children? You couldn't just let them die like that."

Clark looked stricken at his words. Exactly as Bruce had expected when he chose his wording. He knew of the rocky relationship Clark had with Superboy, and knew the Man of Steel didn't particularly realize what it meant ot be a father. If no one else would listen to him, he had to try and get Clark on his side.

"We'll make the trade," Clark decided after a moment later.

"But Superman-!" Oliver began to protest, cut short by Clark's glare.

"Before anything else, we need to make sure the civilians we protect and safe. As heroes it's our responsibility to protect those who need it. Don't worry Mr. Wayne. We will make sure your son is safely returned to you," Clark explained to the rest of the League.

"Thank you, Superman. Thank you."

* * *

"Hey Supes, mind if I stay in here and watch you?"

Superboy looked up from his training at Talon's question. Already, Superboy was used to seeing the boy around the mountain and come to expect it. "You can stay, just don't interrupt me," Superboy replied.

"Thanks." Talon took a seat on a pile of cushioned mats by the gym's wall. He began doing some basic stretches, demonstrating his flexibility, an attribute Connor was yet unable to master even with Black Canary's aid.

"I don't think I ever really thanked you. You know for saving me from that bomb that night. It would have been rather bad if you hadn't come back for me. So yeah, thanks."

"It was nothing, you saved us first. You stopped Luthor from killing us and you didn't turn us other to Owlman. So I mean, thanks for doing that."

Superboy couldn't say he particularly minded the company of the young villain. At least he wasn't as half aggravating as Wally could be sometimes with his consistent flirting with M'gann. But he couldn't help but feel like he was being studied as he furiously punched the large punching bag, releasing his pent up energy from days without a mission or word from the League.

"Do you have a name?"

Superboy jumped at the sudden question, barely moving out of the way when the punching bag swung back, almost hitting him in the face. "What are you talking about? It's Superboy," he responded gruffly, looking at Talon.

And even though Superboy couldn't see the young villain's eyes, he could have sworn he was rolling his eyes. "I meant a real name. Y'know like Clark or John or Ben. Superboy isn't a real name."

Superboy frowned, this was the first time anyone had brought up such a topic with him. It wasn't like having a name was useful when fighting crime. Superboy was Superboy that was it. "I don't have one," Superboy responded, turning back to his punching bag.

"Can I give you one then?" Talon asked, laying back on the mats as he obviously lost interest in watching Superboy.

"You can do whatever you want," he replied. Superboy couldn't care less what Talon wanted to call him. Training and managing his anger was on the top of his list of priorities.

"Okay."

The gym was silent for a few minutes besides the sound of the punching bag whisking through the air. It was peaceful, and soon enough Superboy lost himself in thought again.

"What about Heracles?"

"What for?" Superboy asked.

"For your name," Talon sighed, exasperated, "So what about it?"

Superboy shook his head. He thought Talon had given up on the name thing. But apparently not. At the very least he wasn't going to let the boy name him Heracles.

"Okay then. Alex?"

Another shake of the head.

"Dan?"

"No."

"David?"

"No."

"Hm, then maybe Thomas?"

Superboy shook his head, exasperated. He'd already had enough of Talon's game now. What was even the point of this? He had half a mind to tell the boy to scram and go find Kaldur instead of bugging him. At least the leader of their team would be a bit more patient with the boy.

"Connor?"

Superboy began to shake his head only to pause a moment later. Connor. It wasn't so bad.

"I see, if that one's no good then-"

"No, I like Connor. It's fine," Superboy interrupted.

"Really? That's great. Then, it's nice to meet you Connor," Talon perked up with a grin. He looked happy, perhaps even triumphant at finding a name Super- Connor liked.

"Thank you Talon."

Superboy wondered if he could talk Talon into giving up his life of crime to join the team. He'd be a worthy addition to their ranks and Superboy could already see them becoming good friends in the short amount of time they had spent together. Connor hoped Owlman would never come after Talon.

* * *

Klarion was ready. He'd talked Savage into revealing the location of the sidekick's base, after he'd learned the Justice League was hiding Talon there. Then, he had rallied up a few of his villainous colleagues to cause a bit of trouble for the League while he rescued Talon. There wasn't any point in committing himself to a rescue mission if the whole League showed up when he made it to Mount Justice.

Owlman had been silent for the past few days. For that, Klarion couldn't help but feel spiteful that he had yet to try and rescue his apprentice. At least that made matters easier on Klarion's part. He wouldn't have to worry about Owlman reclaiming Talon before Klarion had a chance to bring his fellow peer to the Light.

In just three days, Klarion will have rescued Talon and convinced his friend to join the Light. Together they would topple Kalrion's fellow comrades and cause as much chaos for the rest of the world as they saw fit. And no one could stop them. Not even the Justice League.


	4. Chapter 4: Reflex

Hello and welcome to chapter 4. Thank you all for your wonderful feedback, it's really encouraging me to continue updating weekly. I don't remember if I mentioned this last chapter, but I'm expecting to have 10 chapters to this story, so we're at 4/10, almost halfway. I don't own any fraction of the DC universe, never have. However, I hope you'll follow, favorite review and enjoy all the same.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Reflex**

ˈ **rēˌfleks** **/**

 ** _noun_**

 **1.**

 **an action that is performed as a response to a stimulus and without conscious thought.**

* * *

"Hey Arty."

Artemis jumped, releasing in her arrow on reflex, missing the target completely. She whipped around, glaring at Talon. Judging from smug smile, he knew exactly what he was doing by interrupting her. He casually took a seat in the chair pushed against the wall of the archery range. The little troll was planning to watch her shoot, and probably mess her up again.

If he did, she was going to shoot him next.

"Hello Talon," Artemis replied tartly, stringing another arrow on her bow. It took all of her will power to not aim at Talon. He'd be able to dodge it anyway. During the few missions they had worked together, Talon had come to be able to read her every move. Something Artemis couldn't say the same of.

To her surprise, Talon sat quietly watching her as she shot off a few volleys of arrows. When she ran out, he wordlessly went to pick them up, plucking them off the damaged target. He held up the arrows, "Mind if I take a few shots?"

Artemis shrugged, holding out her bow to Talon. The arrows were just blunts after all, it wasn't like he could do any real damage with them. She took a seat where Talon had sitting moments ago, watching as he adjusted his stance in front of the target. The bow was too large for his small frame, but he adjusted quickly.

She watched him take a couple shots, the first few arrows going askew as it became apparent Talon was a bit rusty with they bow. At that point he took a moment to fix his grasp and his aim improved to the point where Artemis was impressed.

"How's Jade doing?" Talon asked as he released another arrow.

Artemis snorted at the mention of her sister, leaning back in her chair and relaxing. "She's doing good now, still working on the usual stuff. I think she has a thing going on with Red Arrow," she responded.

Talon chuckled, "Red Arrow? That's a surprise. I never expected her to have a crush on a hero. Does Red Arrow know?"

"I'm pretty sure he also likes her."

"Does Green Arrow know? I doubt he approves."

"He doesn't know, but I think Canary does. Although, I think she's hoping for a grandkid at this point." This time, she laughed along with Talon. It was almost like she had never left her life of villainy and they were joking on the Gotham rooftop without Owlman or Sportsmaster's knowledge.

A moment of silence wrapped around them once more as their laughter slowly withered. Artemis no longer saw the merit of being a villain, having adjusted to her heroic lifestyle, undoing the misdeeds she was responsible for. Talon had been a villain even longer than she, yet he demonstrated the qualities of a hero. How he had been inducted as Owlman's apprentice, she had no clue.

"Why dd you stop Luthor from killing us?"

This time it was Artemis who caused Talon to miss the target. He winced as it landed with a thunk against the opposite wall. "Can we not talk about it?" he questioned with a deep sigh.

"No. I need to know. Talon you've been a villain for longer than most of the other villains. And yet now you had a change a heart? I don't believe that," Artemis persisted. "Why do you work with Owlman? You've never killed anyone before or done anything that wasn't to help preserve the peace Owlman created in Gotham, so why?"

Talon smiled mirthlessly, "You've always been able to read me better than most Arty. But I have my own reasons for working with Owlman. I saved you and your friends to teach Luthor a lesson. He's been trying to get in with Owlman for way too long and he'd starting to get annoying. I thought he needed a warning, wish I'd gotten the chance to beat him up before he skipped town. I just didn't expect Savage to be there, otherwise I'd never have tried to help you guys out."

"I don't believe you," Artemis deadpanned. And she didn't, she knew Talon was lying to her, at least for the most part. He'd wanted to save them, not because Luthor was an annoyance to the Gotham villains but almost as it were an act of reconciliation for all that he'd done.

Artemis was all too familiar with acts of reconciling.

"I'm not asking you to believe me, I'm just giving you my answer."

Talon set the bow down as he left the room, ending their conversation before it could go any further. Perhaps because he knew he couldn't fool Artemis.

The archer knew what she had to do. She couldn't allow Talon to go back to a life where he was unsure of the morality of his actions. She'd make Talon join the team for his own good.

* * *

Dick huffed as he made it back to his room in Mount Justice, collapsing onto his bed. He should have known better than to approach Artemis. She'd always been more in the gray area between heroes and villains than most others. She understood why Talon had rescued the team. Even if he couldn't admit it to her. The act had been one Owlman would never have done even if the Justice League had been threatened. In his single refusal to permit the deaths of the teen heroes, he'd single-handed given Savage and the rest of the Light the ammunition they needed to make him join them.

Rather than it having been a spontaneous, emotion fueled reaction, he'd done it in hopes of it making up for all the bad he'd done. Dick had always wondered what his parents would think of the path he had chosen for his life, and while they might disprove of most of his actions, his act of reconciliation had hopefully made up for their disappointment.

His eyes watered as tears threatened to fall at the thought of his deceased parents. He was doing this for them and himself, so he could prevent anything like that from happening to the billions of other families in the world.

After all this time, he'd acted like a villain with the qualities of a hero. While it made him more dangerous in the eyes of the Justice League as he knew how they would act and therefore be able to respond, it's also what civilians recognized as him protecting the people who were unable to protect themselves in the dangers of Gotham.

The villains saw him as a dedicated mastermind. The civilians saw him as their savior. And the heroes saw him as the evil in the world. Who was right? And who was wrong? Dick would never be able to tell.

But one thing was for certain, he still saw himself as the little boy who had watched his parents plummet to their deaths. Who heard his mother call out for him as she realized her fate. Who saw his father's eyes widen in fear and anger and sorrow. Who visited his comatose, paralyzed uncle weekly to tell him about the outside world.

Whether he saw these things as a hero, villain or both, he knew the importance of his and Bruce's mission. And he couldn't be swayed away from it. Not by the Light, the League of the Team.

And that was, of course, when the alarm began to blare.

* * *

Kaldur was momentarily stunned when Klarion appeared in Mount Justice. Which was understandable seeing as how the only villains to ever infiltrate the mountain were the two reds. The team had been prepared for an attack once villains realized Mount Justice was their base of operation, but they hadn't been expecting a member of the Light to appear himself.

Acting quickly, Kaldur raced towards the control panel of the cave, activating lock down and the alarm. Hopefully, the team would use this as a warning to make their escape while he held Klarion off—not that he was sure how he was going to keep the Lord of Chaos entertained quite yet, but he'd figure it out. It was his duty to protect the team as their leader.

He should have expected that they would converge in the central area instead of fleeing. Wally arrived first, skirting into the room and coming to a stop beside Kaldur. Superboy—Connor, he mentally corrected, remembering the teenager asking to be called such—charged as soon as he caught sight of the Witch Boy who dodged away from the blow with a smug smile as he continued to pet his cat. Artemis' volley of areas hit next, almost striking Klarion had he not dodged Superboy's charge, the archer hissed in frustration, likely having expected them to hit their mark as they exploded leaving the cave's floor scorched.

"Kid Flash, who's watching-?"

"Klarion?"

M'gann had arrived with Talon in tow. The villain was looking at the Lord of Chaos with surprise and relief. It should have been obvious they would know each other what with their like fields of expertise. The Team should have been keeping Talon away from their intruder, not bringing him straight to him—it wasn't M'gann's fault per say as the team had gone behind his back to always help their leader fight instead of fleeing in like matters.

"Get him out of here!" Kaldur ordered the stunned Martian. It came too late as Klarion appeared beside Talon, knocking M'gann away.

"Come here often?" Talon jested, beaming to his partner in crime.

"Only as often as you," Klarion mirrored his expression, "I see Owlman hasn't come to pick you up from your playdate with these sidekicks. Should I give you a ride?"

A silent agreement was made between the two villains as Kaldur realized he and the team would be in trouble. Out of seemingly nowhere, Talon pulled out a belt, identical to the one the League had confiscated from him. Without a moment's delay, Talon was gone, as if he had turned invisible.

"Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Artemis catch Talon. Superboy and I will hold off Klarion," Kaldur ordered. He grabbed his water bearers, summoning the water from the cave's outlet towards the Witch Boy. As expected he brushed it away, however he fell victim to Connor's charge.

A cackle echoed against the cave walls that sent shivers down Aqualad's spine. He was only vaguely aware of the ongoing fight behind him, choosing to focus on Klarion instead of worrying over his teammates. The sooner he and Connor were able to force Klarion to retreat, the sooner they could help their friends recapture Talon.

"Play time's about over, don't you Justice kiddies think?" Klarion sneered, transforming his cat into it's larger form.

Not for the first time, Kaldur deeply wished he had the Helmet of Faith with him. While even Fate had some trouble fighting Klarion it would give them a chance of defeating him. With that in mind, Kaldur charged forth only to find himself near the roof of the cave, plummeting towards the hard flooring below.

After that, all was dark.

* * *

Dick couldn't say he was impressed with the strength of the Young Justice team. Klarion had been able to defeat their leader and while merely toying with Connor as his rage steadily grew causing him to grow sloppy in his movements. Even if Kaldur had attempted to sacrifice himself so his team could get away, it wouldn't have done much. Before he could grow as a hero he would need to understand the risk to his actions. Connor

Kid Flash was down for the count, Dick had him with a dose of Scarecrow's gas almost immediately. While the Central City hero was fast, he was easy to predict. Miss Martian had attempted a mental attack, but Dick had felt her surprise at his mental blockade before he poured every inch of sorrow and pain into their link.

Only Artemis was left standing now, having left the close-range combat to her teammates. They were but playing a game of cat and mouse. Talon only moments away from winning as Artemis tired, she couldn't keep dodging his precise blows forever.

"Talon, you're better than this," Artemis pleaded, "Please. We could help you get away from Owlman, the League could protect you. You wouldn't have to live a life you feel like you have to redeem yourself for."

"Sorry Arty, but I wasn't lying to you before. I am a villain no matter what you think."

* * *

Wally awoke with a groan. He looked around, his teammates barely waking up themselves. Klarion and Talon were no where in sight. He'd thought, in between all their laughing and talking, Talon had somewhat taken down the barrier he put up around himself. Wally reckoned that, just maybe, he had the chance of convincing Talon away from being a villain, helping him away from Owlman and convincing him to join the team.

He hadn't expected Talon to turn against them so fast once he saw Klarion.

The speedster cursed, he hadn't expected it but he should have known better. Even with his occasional friendship with the Rouges, they'd still commit the same villainous acts. There was no helping it. But Wally thought he'd seen something different in Talon, if only for a moment. It had been the same resolve Wally had in becoming a hero Talon had when saving them from Luthor that night in Gotham.

And Owlman... well Wally knew for a fact that there was much more to the man that the Justice League had told them of. He cared about Talon, despite having been framed as a heartless criminal. But he knew for a fact that no matter what Owlman had done, he didn't want Talon in the hands of the League.

"We have to get him back," Connor stated.

Wally could feel the piercing stares of his other teammates on him, knowing full well he had spent the most time with Talon. But his own voice was lost to him. He did not know what they wanted to hear, nor of their experiences with the villain. Would they be willing to give themselves up in a mission to rescue someone who had done so much bad? Wally knew he would, because he understood it was not the lifestyle Talon had deserved. It was an unfair hand dealt to one who's motivation kept him going.

Slowly, Wally shook his head. "We can't go against the members of the Light by ourselves. We need help." He paused, looking up at his teammates, "We need to go to Gotham."


	5. Chapter 5: React

Hello everyone. I'm so sorry about the wait, my brain's been fried for most of this semester. I appreciate all of you who are still keeping up with it, new readers and reviewers. Thank you so much for your support. I apologize because I don't think this chapter is as good as it could have been. I really wanted to give the team a sense that maybe Owlman isn't all that bad like the League portrays to lead the story towards the conclusion I'm hoping for at the moment. I'll be on winter break soon so I should be able to spend some time maybe finishing up writing this story and _When the World Turned Against it's Heroes_. I don't own the DCU but all the same I hope you'll enjoy, favor, follow and review. Oh, depending on how this ends I might do one shots based on this story line in the future, let me know if that's something you'd like to see.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **React**

 **/rēˈakt/**

 ** _verb_**

 **1.  
**

 **respond or behave in a particular way in response to something.**

* * *

It'd been two days since Dick had disappeared from Mount Justice. And since then, Bruce had been working tirelessly to find his ward. He'd hunted down every Gothamite to ever be associated with the Light, from the Joker to a few Lex Corp remote employees. Yet, he'd found nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Even Ra's was doing his best to assist, trying to call together a meeting of the Light to find out where Klarion was at with Dick. But Klarion had skipped all meetings thus far. Even the other members of the Light were giving Ra's the cold shoulder due to his involvement with Owlman.

Bruce was getting nowhere fast. And he could only blame himself. It was his fault for involving Dick with the Light. It was his fault for letting Dick go to that meeting without any backup. It was his fault that he had left Dick in the hands of Klarion for these past few days. He could have done more for his ward.

"Master Bruce, I do believe you should get some rest."

Bruce jumped at the sudden presence of his butler and honorary grandfather in the Batcave. He'd been busy scanning the cameras he'd planted around Gotham for any sign of Dick to hear Alfred come up. Not that he usually heard Alfred approach.

"Not now, Alfred, Dick's still out there," Bruce protested, already knowing he was fighting a loosing battle. Even without Dick to team up against him, it proved useless to not listen to Alfred.

"Yes, but you'll be of no use to him if you aren't in your top condition, Master Bruce. Should you have to fight against the Light by yourself, a rest now will do you good. Perhaps there will be news of Master Richard upon your awakening."

Bruce sighed, searching the screens before him before he nodded. "If you think it's for the best Alfred."

* * *

Dick paced angrily around the room Klarion had confined him to. It had been two days since the member of the Light had freed him from the Justice League, and Dick had been hoping Klarion would let him return to Owlman, only to find the Lord of Chaos had no such intention, and when Dick had brought up returning to Owlman he had been locked in his current room.

With a huff, Dick sat down on the gold and black bed positioned in the center of the room, laying back and staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. He could only assume Klarion was keeping him in a sort of pocket dimension. For one, the witch boy and the servants who brought Dick food and drink a few times a day only appeared through Klarion's portals, the room was, in fact, without a door at all. After his first few hours trapped in the room, Dick had furiously argued with the villain before he'd added a window to the room. Yet, when Dick had opened the window in his search for an escape route, the woodland visage was dropped, opening to an expanse of black and reds.

After realizing there was no escape from the room besides through Klarion's portals, Dick had tired his best to convince the other that he wanted to go outside and wouldn't run back to Owlman. But like the other options, this too seemed futile. It wasn't him that Klarion didn't trust, no, he was worried about Owlman forcing Talon back to his side where he "clearly did not belong." The Lord of Chaos promised Dick repeatedly that once he made sure Owlman was no longer a threat, Dick would have freedom once more.

Whatever he had done to get on Klarion's good side, Dick regretted it wholeheartedly.

The whole situation from almost getting killed by Savage to being held up in Mountain Justice to now was endlessly aggravating him. He couldn't wait to get back home, to see Bruce, Alfred, Barbara, Selina, the Commissioner and everyone else once more. He'd let Bruce put as many trackers in his suit as he wanted, and not dispose of them. He'd show the Drake's kid his acrobat routine until the younger was sick of it.

* * *

 _Are you sure this is a good idea, Wally?_ Artemis hissed, following the speedster along with the rest of the team, all wearing civilian disguises as they crept through the Gotham night. She was grateful for the mind link, especially as they walked past the numerous thugs roaming the city at the late hour.

 _We all decided Talon required our assistance,_ Kaldur replied, bringing up the rear as he watched over the group. _And if the League will not help us, Owlman may be able to._

Artemis sighed, she knew this already. But when she had worked with her father and seen Owlman, she had been utterly terrified. The villain had been on a completely different level from all the others she had met with her father. And she had no doubt that he would hesitate for even a moment if he decided to kill them. _How are we supposed to find him? It's not like we can ask around._

 _It'd be so much easier if we had a sign or like a signal,_ Megan sighed.

 _Wait, Megan, you're a genius,_ Wally exclaimed, _The Bat signal. When Batman was still um here, the police department was supposed to have a signal they used to call him. Maybe we can use that to get Owlman's attention._

 _Do you think it will still be there? Batman has been gone for years,_ Connor interjected.

 _It is our only plan for now. If it is not, we will decide our next move from there,_ Kaldur calmly replied.

"Hey, you there. You kids." The group stopped, surrounded by a group of thugs. "What do you kids think you're doing out here?"

 _What are we supposed to say?_ Artemis said over the mind link.

"I, uh, drugs! We're here to buy drugs," Wally blurted out. He instantly felt ashamed, it was the first thing that came to his mind.

 _What the hell, Wally!_ Artemis shouted

The gangsters looked at each other before laughing. "Good one kid, you know it's illegal to sell minors drugs in Gotham. We can't afford to get back on Owlman's bad side again. You kids better head back to your homes now before you run into Owlman himself. He'd probably personally escort you home, and that'd be an unpleasant ride in his car. Now get going, I don't wanna see you kids around here again."

"Of course, sir, thank you," Kaldur moved forward, pushing the others along, all of them stunned into silence.

 _I can't believe you told them we wanted to buy drugs!_ Artemis snapped, punching Wally's shoulder.

 _Ow! Are we just going to gloss over the fact that Owlman told the gangs here they can't sell drugs to kids?_ Wally asked. He'd expected to be beaten up, or even be charged a fortune for drugs. But to be told that Owlman had created some sort of law in the chaotic city?

 _We can't think about that right now, finding Owlman is our top priority. Let's go find this Bat Signal._

"Master Bruce, I think there is something you should see," Alfred muttered in awe from his place by the window looking out over Gotham.

"What is it Alfred?" Bruce asked, leaving his desk in his desperate search for Dick. What he saw surprised him more than anything he had ever seen in his time as Owlman. The Bat signal shone among the clouded sky, dimming and flickering out completely for a few seconds before the light was back on full force. "Alfred, tell me if anyone has news on Dick."

"Master Bruce, please, do you not do anything rash. It is possible that whoever is there may be able to help you find Master Dick. Try to keep an open mind."

Bruce nodded, disappearing into the Batcave. The only thing he knew was that if any member of the light besides Ra's was there, he was going to break his one vow and kill them. Whatever it took to get Dick back safely.

What he hadn't expected was to find the group of sidekicks loitering on the roof of the GCPD in their civilian identities. He watched them from the roof opposite of the GCPD, standing in the shadows as they surveyed the skyline for any sign of him. Coming out here was a fruitless effort which only distracted him from his search for Dick. He couldn't leave him in Klarion's hands forever.

But he couldn't help to remember Alfred's words. At the very least he'd hear them out. He shot his grappling hook, landing quietly in the center of their formation, and turning the Bat Signal off.

Artemis, Green Arrow's sidekick, specializing in archery and hand to hand, daughter of Sportsmaster and Huntress, huffed in annoyance. "Hey, Baywatch, the lights….out," she had turned around in the middle of speaking, her eyes widening as she saw Owlman, the villain fully cloaked in darkness. "He's here," she whispered.

"What are you doing here?" he growled, watching them take him in. They were obviously speaking telepathically, judging from the looks they shot each other and their hand movements. He narrowed his eyes, "Speak now or get out of my city, I'm busy."

"You're looking for Talon, right?" the speedster stepped forward. Kid Flash, also known as Wallace West, good at science but not a strategist. "We want to help. Klarion is dangerous, we can't just leave Talon with him. And you, well you at least care for him."

Owlman stared at them, he doubted that, even if he refused their help, they would stop acting on their own. And, according to his records they had encounter Klarion before and did not lose. Bruce sighed, at the very least, he'd take them with him, he couldn't have their deaths on his hands, not like his parents or Dick's. "Fine."

West's face lit up, while Superman's clone—DNA of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent, strongest member physically, weak to kryptonite and lack of emotion control—looked pleased. The other members of the team relaxed instantly, if Bruce had been teaching them, they would never relax their guard. Kaldur'ahm, Aqualad, son of Black Manta, leader of the team but impaired by the burden of being the team leader, stepped forward, "Thank you Owlman."

"The moment you fall behind or make a mistake, you're out, all of you," Bruce growled. He waited for them to nod, M'gann Morse, Martian Manhunter's daughter, hiding her identity as a white Martian, gulped nervously. His communicator beeped, and he turned away from the Team as he opened up the frequency.

 _"Owlman, Harley gave me some info regarding Klarion,"_ Selina began, " _It's about the next meeting for the Light. I have the info for it, but it's too high tech for me to crack into."_

"I see. We'll meet at our usual place in ten minutes, I'll be bringing…guests as well," Bruce replied. As soon as he closed the frequency, he turned back to the team to find them looking at them. It was a struggle for him to remember that he had to vocalize his thoughts instead of being with Dick who understood him without speaking. "We're meeting an informant soon, after that we'll see what we can do about uniforms for you."

"Of course, Owlman, sir. Whatever you need us to do," West mock saluted. Artemis whacked him over the head without missing a beat and before he knew it, the two were squabbling.

Bruce was already regretting letting these teenagers work with him.


	6. Chapter 6: Resign

So I want to preface this chapter with a rather important realization that I had. The reason this story has been taking so long was I was trying to get to a point in the plot and had the basic idea of how to get there. But I now realize I was working to the ending that I want the wrong way which made me more hesitant to work on this story since I was so uncertain on how to actually make things happen the way I want to. So you guys don't actually know the first plan I had which is good, but this new way that I'm working on it should really help me finish this story out the way I want it to end. Yeah, but it was really important for me to realize all this, so I had to tell someone. Anyway, I'm feeling more motivated now that I have a good plan and I am going to finish this story before May (I don't want to make any promises I can't keep so hopefully before May but not later than May). Now that that's all sorted out, here's chapter six, I don't own Young Justice, but I'll admit that I am enjoying season 3 quite a bit. I've got the next chapter about halfway done, so look for that in the next two weeks, maybe sooner. I hope you enjoy, follow, favorite and review.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Resign**

 **/rəˈzīn/**

 ** _verb_**

 **1.**

 **voluntarily leave a job or other position**

 **2.**

 **accept that something undesirable cannot be avoided**

* * *

The room was timeless, without any clock or change to the façade of the outside world there was no way for him to know how much time had passed. Klarion had made a point by taking away his sense of time and depriving him of any interaction to the outside world. Or perhaps the Lord of Chaos was unaware how lack of exposure to others could affect humans.

Even more problematic, Dick could feel his exhaustion setting in, it wasn't like he was going to allow himself to sleep, but he had practice surviving on little to no sleep. However, if his lack of sleep continued, if there was an opportunity to escape, he'd already be at a disadvantage before he began. He'd need Bruce.

Yet, no matter what type of detective work Bruce could do, finding the interdimensional area Klarion was keeping Dick in would be difficult. Despite all the technology Wayne Industries had been able to produce, they still had next to no ways to replicate magic, much less control the advanced magic related to interdimensional travel. Once Bruce figured it out, he'd have to rely on their consultant for magic.

Knowing Bruce, it'd take him too long to actually ask for help. More likely than not, he'd wait until he'd exhausted every option. Dick muffled a laugh, Bruce was probably running around like a mad man trying to do just that. It was a good thing Alfred was there to look out for his health.

If only Dick could somehow get word out Bruce, he'd be able to speed this up. And hopefully be back in the manor before the next week. Even if he had to resign himself to working for Klarion to get to that point.

It was then that a familiar red portal opened beneath his feet.

* * *

Ra's narrowed his eyes as the holograms of the other members of the Light appeared. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw Klarion appear, after a week of missing these meetings Savage had finally harassed him to participate once more. Yet, the witch boy looked impatient, there was no doubt he had Talon trapped in some way.

The Detective had only asked Ra's one favor, to get Talon away from Klarion long enough for the young acrobat to send a message to him. While a member of the Light, Ra's first responsibilities were to further his own goals, and in that area the Detective would be of much more use than Klarion.

"Perhaps you would enlighten the rest of the Light on what you have told me, al Ghul," Savage prompted.

"While the Nano technology developed for New Year's has been in development, we are missing a crucial component which is not on the market as of yet. In fact, only one copy of the program we need exists. This chip is found in the Jump City Branch of Wayne Enterprises located in a secure location within the building. However, as the League of Shadows and Sportsmaster remain occupied securing other components for our project, we lack access to anyone otherwise capable of securing the chip undetected, therefore distracting the Justice League from our plans," Ra's informed. It would be the perfect job for someone trained by the Detective. Upon Ra's informing Owlman of the Light's plan, the anti-villain had immediately set to work in creating the chip, either to use as a bargaining chip or bait.

The affect was nearly instantaneous. A smug smile lit up Klarion's devious features, and it didn't take long for Vandal Savage to see the expression either. "Do you have a candidate for this job, Klarion?" he questioned. The Light's leader looked impatient with the Lord of Chaos as he often did due to the other's rather mischievous nature.

"I do, in fact. Allow me a moment to summon him and inform him of the situation, Savage." Without waiting for a response, Klarion's screen was blank, having been swiftly shut off. It was just as Owlman had suspected.

Upon hearing the opportunity, Klarion had viewed it as the time to cement Talon's place with the Light as a loyal pawn. It would have been wise on his part to offer the boy up for such a task when many members of the Light remained weary of Owlman and Talon as independent cogs who could disrupt their plans at any moment. But Klarion wasn't weary enough to have considered this as a trap, a mistake that would lead to Owlman and, by extension, Ra's victory.

"Until Klarion returns, we have a different matter to discuss he is best left out of," Savage begun, "Due to rather unforeseen events, Luthor and I decided Talon has outlived his purpose and as such, disposed of him."

Ra's allowed a fake shock to flow through his features, fooling even the wisest member of the Light was an easy task for an assassin. None of them were built from the same material, each with their own tricks. And the cruel environment Ra's al Ghul had staked his claim in gave him more skills than his peers. "You've killed the boy?" Ra's asked disbelievingly. He couldn't wait for Savage and Luthor's shock the moment Klarion returned with the boy in tow.

Luthor nodded, "We understand your affinity towards Owlman and Talon, al Ghul, however, in a recent attempt to convince Owlman to join the Light, Talon's interference proved to be dire to our attempt to sway his mentor in joining."

"Are you insane?"

Every member turned to look at Queen Bee in surprise. Even Ra's hadn't expected such a reaction from the villainess. But upon seeing their confounded looked, with the expectation of the Brain's who could not change his expression, she pressed forward. "Owlman's control over the majority of villains on the planet will make it difficult, and perhaps even impossible to further grow the Light or hire mercenaries. Not only that, but Owlman won't stop until the Light is destroyed!"

"Honesty, Queen Bee must you be so dramatic-!"

"Queen Bee is right," Brain agreed, "While the Light may be powerful, Owlman is not secretive. As of now, despite some of our plans and involvement being discovered by the Justice League, Owlman still remains at the top of their wanted list. We operate in the shadows, while Owlman is well known throughout the world. It would be impossible for us to compete with him."

Savage was silent, even as their attention had turned to him. His screen beeped and he eyed the other members before shaking his head, "We will have to discuss it at another time, for now, we will listen to Klarion's candidate for the job. Do not speak a word of this to him."

"Welcome back Kl…." Savage's voice tapered off as the smug Talon appeared beside Klarion as his screen once more joined the call. It was the first time Ra's, and probably any other member of the Light had seen their leader speechless. The Demon's Head didn't even have to look to know Luthor's jaw had dropped.

"Hey there Lex, Savage, fancy seeing you guys again so soon," Talon teased. His grin was wide, and while he was avoiding looking at Ra's, he knew the boy had caught onto the plan, "But past events aside, Klarion said you had a job for me?"

"How do we know he is loyal to the Light?" Ocean Master spoke up for the first time. Out of the group of villains, he was perhaps the most unexposed to the legends of Owlman and Talon that had spread across the surface, and thus the most neutral to whether they joined the Light or not. As long as they didn't interfere with his attempts to lay claim to the throne of Atlantis, he seemed impartial to the anti-villains.

Talon looked over at Klarion briefly, "Let's just say I owe him a favor." It was easy for the boy to recognize that wasn't enough of a reason for the rest of the Light but he allowed a moment of silence before he laughed. "What? Did you honestly think I have any sort of undying loyalty to the Owl?"

No one responded, even Klarion was silent. Ra's knew the boy was bluffing, but even he couldn't help but feel slightly fooled at the boy's nonchalant questions. The Detective had served the acrobat as a good mentor for him to act this well in front of his enemies.

Looking at each member of the Light, Talon smirked. "Jeez, shows how much you guys know about being villains. Being with Owlman was convenient at the time, he is the number one villain on Earth, even you guys could learn a thing or two from him. But running from the Justice League or whatever plots you had to get Owlman to join the Light? Count me out. Besides, I heard the Light's paying more anyway."

Finding the teenagers new suits had been an easy task. Bruce was no fool, the moment anyone saw a group of teenaged sidekicks parading after the villain of Gotham City it would be easy to put two and two together. He'd already had Alfred tailor uniforms that would account for mutations like superspeed, strength and so forth and tailoring them to fit each teenager wasn't a long task either.

Getting them all to his usual meeting place with Selina had been a different story entirely. He showed up almost ten minutes late with the gaggle of teenager behind him who apparently couldn't sense his exasperation with them. As he did a quick headcount, making sure none of them were running around Gotham, he barely heard Selina drop onto the rooftop in her suit.

"Owlman how nice of you to come," she purred, taking in the sight of him with the sidekicks with an amused smile, "Although you seem to have had your hands full with some new kittens."

"Who is that?" West whispered to his companions. The speedster really should learn to talk quietly, how the team had earned the place of the Justice League's covert operations team was beyond Owlman. If he was in charge of them even for a week, they'd be able to go more than five minutes without saying something that could blow their cover if someone was listening.

"This," Owlman answered, "is Catwoman, one of my associates."

Selina laughed, "There's no need to be so distant, Owlman, not after I risked my tail to get that information from the Demon's Head you wanted." She held up the flash drive victoriously, pulling it out of his reach when he tried to grab for it.

"Drop the act, Catwoman. Quinn is the one who received it. Ra's followed the appropriate protocol to pass information about the meeting, as he usually does," Bruce growled. Sure, he didn't mind Selina's teasing from time to time, but Dick was involved this time, and she should know better when it came to him. "Now give me the drive."

Selina frowned at him, "That's no way to ask a lady for something. Agree to let me help you get Talon and I'll give it to you."

 _Well that was unexpected,_ Bruce thought. Yes, he knew Selina treated Dick like her son, but she was always looking out for herself first. And getting on the Light's bad side was one of the worst things she could do. He even told her such only to receive a laugh in return.

"You worry too much, Owlman. You can't do this by yourself, no offense kittens, but you won't be able to keep up with him. Not when he's looking for Talon. I'm not planning to go to the Light myself," she added when Bruce opened his mouth, "But you'll need someone to watch Gotham while you're out. Some of the newer crime lords have already been more daring since they heard Talon was gone. Let me handle the streets."

"Owlman perhaps you should-"

Bruce silenced the Atlantean with a single glare. He should have left all of them in one of his safe houses while he made the exchange. He would have if he didn't think they would instantly make a mess of wherever he left them before going after him. With a silent huff, he nodded. "Fine, but no killing."

Selina grinned, handing the drive to him. "Good, and don't worry about Gotham," she gave him a swift peck on the cheek, electing the gasps of the sidekicks behind him before jumping backwards, and onto another roof. "And don't worry about Gotham, Harley, Ivy and I will take good care of her!"

Of course, she'd involve the fellow villainesses.

Talon looked down through the grates of the ventilation shaft as the Wayne Enterprises' scientists left the room as their shift ended. As soon as the doors slid shut behind them, he dropped down from the shaft, quiet feet landing against the white tile of the lab. He had ten minutes before the first patrol of security guards would check the vault room security office.

It wasn't a big window, but enough for him to seamlessly complete the mission. Using the 'skeleton key' access codes he'd long ago written for Wayne Enterprises as a back door for himself and Bruce that wouldn't be traced back to their civilian identities, he broke into the system, looping the video feed for the vault room which lay through the heavy steel and lead doors off to his right.

It took another minute before he safely disabled the security systems which would alert the main guard area that all protocols controlling the vault room security were still on even after he'd shut them off. With that he finally opened the vault room doors, setting each protocol he'd set of to automatically turn on again in five minutes. If he was still in the vault room by the time the doors shut, he'd get in contact with Klarion to get him out.

Even without being able to see him, Dick knew the Witch boy was watching him, and likely was showing his progress in the mission to Savage. Despite the lack of time, Dick scanned each or the small drawers in the vault room before he found the right one, having known where it was all along but understanding it would look suspicious if he'd gone right to it.

Since the alarms were already disabled from his previous codes, he went ahead and opened the drawer, pulling out the small green chip. From one of his pockets in his utility belt, he fished out the duplicate created to replace the original. The duplicate chip was blank.

At least the Light thought it was.

Dick had uploaded all the information he had on Klarion's inter-dimensional space, an analysis of the material it was made of included. There was more information about the nanotechnology Dick had skimmed off the rest of the meeting when the Light explained to him what its purpose was and the possibility to reverse its effects now that it had the chip from Wayne Enterprises included. He'd added information about the Light that was missing from Bruce's files, including Queen Bee and the Brain's reactions to hearing Savage and Luthor had tried to kill him—Klarion wasn't nearly as weary enough as he should be, the moment Dick had a private moment, he'd found Ra's had sent him the feed for the mission.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Bruce. And until then, he'd hopefully be able to glean more information about the Light as they grew more trusting in him.


End file.
